Valve rejects AI gatekeeping on Steam as cloning and slop concerns mount

Valve fielded developer complaints about AI clones and low-quality games at Steam Indie Connect in Busan. Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson declined to restrict AI tools or filter games out. Valve places the burden of clone defense and discoverability on developers' own community and iteration. "We don't want to be gatekeepers telling developers which tools they should or shouldn't use." - Tom Giardino, Steam Business Team

Giardino framed AI use in development as a decision for each developer.
Steam's release volume shows the scale of the open policy.
Nearly 23,000 games have been released on Steam in 2026, before November.
The stance extends Valve's 2018 policy of allowing nearly all games unless illegal or trolling.
Critics called that earlier policy "arrogant and cowardly."

Developers report extortion emails threatening AI clones unless they pay a ransom.
Giardino said Valve would review reported cases but called extortion a law enforcement matter.
Steam prioritizes surfacing the original over removing copies and clones.
"Rather than relying on a single mechanic that someone can easily copy, you need to keep growing your game by adding features, personality, and creativity that stem from your own perspective." - Tom Giardino, Steam Business Team
For studios, live roadmaps and early community become the main IP protection on Steam.

Next Fest shows games randomly for the first two days.
Personalized recommendations activate only after that window.
Randomization aims to give every developer fair exposure and prevent early-entry abuse.
"We recognize that the trade-off is some low-quality games get exposed." - Marc Wilkinson, Valve
Wilkinson said a significant number of staff are working on the problem.

Community building is harder when clones crowd out the original before launch.
Needle in a Haystack Simulator drew numerous copies before release.
Players struggled to identify the original title.
Digital Suns Games cancelled a planned Moonlighter demo over cloning fears.
Its Israel Mallén asked for pre-release access vetting by account age, playtime or review history.
Giardino said limiting developer access is not Valve's starting point, signalling no imminent change.
Legal remedies are slow and costly for indies, so damage lands before recourse.

For Publishers & Developers: Drive owned-community traffic to Next Fest demos during the randomized opening window.
For UA & Marketing: Fund creator and brand-search campaigns that point players to the original store listing.
For Service Vendors: Pitch closed-playtest management and community moderation to indies withholding public demos.